Anything But Mine
by Agent Gibbs
Summary: So I deleted this story awhile ago, but I did some work, and now it's back. Mainly centers around my OC Cooper. Takes place in my "What If" Storyline. (What If and Daddy Issues. I recommend you read those first.) T for Profanity, sexual innuendo, violence, & sexual situations.
1. Weekend Interrupted

June 27, 2015, 0700 hours, Washington, D.C., NCIS Headquarters.

NCIS Director Leroy Jethro Gibbs called his Major Crime Response Team (MCRT) into work. They had a dead Marine in front of the Washington Monument, and he told them to get there "before I come through this phone and head slap you."

At the Washington Monument, Special Agent Doug Cooper looked at the monument, looked at MCRT leader Tony DiNozzo, and said, "Boss, this looks more like a tribute to Bill Clinton than George Washington." Cooper grinned, then... Smack.

Tony snatched the camera from McGee, and, handing it to Cooper, growled, "Cooper, pictures. McGee, try and find out who this guy is. Or WAS. Ziva, see if anyone saw what happened to this guy."

McGee put the Marine's index finger on his handheld AFIS device, then said, "Tony, I got a hit on our Marine."

"Well, what's his name, Probie-Wan Kenobi?" Tony snapped.

"Staff Sergeant Michael Rhodes, Marine Corps Reserves. Oh, damn."

"What?"

"The Cleveland office put a BOLO out on him last week. Apparently, he was the main suspect in his Platoon Leader's murder."

"Great. Well, when we get to NCIS, I guess someone has to tell Gibbs. Not it." Tony touched his nose. McGee and Ziva quickly followed, which left Cooper as the poor bastard that had to tell Gibbs.

'_Oh, fuck me._' Cooper thought.

Smack. "I know what you thought, Cooper. At least you don't have to let Agent Harper know that the suspect she was chasing is our dead guy. She has a bad temper."

"Great," Cooper said.

As the team was preparing to leave, Ducky finally showed up. As the Medical Examiner and his assistant Jimmy "Autopsy Gremlin" Palmer were unloading their supplies, Tony said, "Nice of you to join us. Dead guy's SSgt Michael Rhodes, Marine."

"Thank you, Anthony. I will tell you when he died back at NCIS. Mister Palmer, bag the body."

After the MCRT left the crime scene, Tony pulled into the first coffee place he could find.


	2. Someone Has to Tell Gibbs

Back at NCIS, Tony was laughing as Cooper went to tell Gibbs the situation with their dead Marine, while he and the other two just drank their coffee.

Cooper knocked on Gibbs' door, and all he heard was, "Enter."

After he walked into the Director's office, he just stood in front of Gibbs' desk.

"Cooper, are you gonna say something, or are you just gonna stand there like a light post?"

"The dead Marine was a suspect in his PL's murder. The Cleveland office put a BOLO out on him last week."

"Why is this the first I'm hearing about that case?"

"NCIS protocol dictates that any BOLO issued by an agent outside the Navy Yard is e-mailed to the Director. Agent McGee told me when I started that you **_HATE_** computers and everything to do with them. He also said that you don't check your e-mail unless-" Smack. Rubbing his head, Cooper just said, "I've always wondered where Agent DiNozzo picked that up."

"Tell DiNozzo to inform Agent Harper in Cleveland that we found her suspect."

"He already knows, and he is NOT looking forward to it. As a matter of fact, I gotta see it."

"Fine with. Just tell him I gave you the clearance."

"Yes, Director." A DiNozzo-like grin spread across Cooper's face.

"Cooper, DiNozzo's been a rotten influence on you."

"Don't I know it." Cooper took one more head-slap from Gibbs before he walked back down to the bullpen.

Tony looked at Cooper, who was still rubbing his head as he came down the stairs, saying, "Cooper, how many shots did you get?"

"Two. AND Gibbs gave me the clearance to MTAC when you inform Agent Harper about SSgt Rhodes."

Before Tony could utter his comeback, his desk phone rang. It was Ducky.

"What do you got, Ducky?"

"_Anthony, SSgt Rhodes died from strangulation and multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and stomach._"

"When did he die?"

"_Time of death is about midnight._"

"Thanks, Duck." Click. "Rhodes was shot and strangled, sometime around midnight. Ziva, did anyone see anything?"

"No people saw what happened, but there are security cameras everywhere. Maybe one of them captured what happened," Ziva replied.

"Find out. Get all the tapes and get them to Abby. McGeek, you're gonna help Abby. And this time, if I see you two doing anything other than working-"

"Tony-"

"ESPECIALLY that, McGeek. McKeepItInYourPants this time, or I'll shoot you myself," Tony snapped pointedly.

"Dually noted."

Tony looked at Cooper and motioned that the call to MTAC would be coming through at any moment.


	3. A Brief Explanation, YOLO, & Rule 40

When Tony and Cooper got to MTAC, Gibbs was waiting. All he said was, "I want to make sure this meeting goes without a hitch."

"Don't worry, Director," Tony said, "I've got Cooper-" (Tony emphasized 'Cooper' with a slap on the back.) "-with me. What could go wrong? Also, Rule 38."

"Your case, you're lead. Touché, DiNozzo. But I hope you taught Cooper my rules. Mainly, Rule 12."

"He knows."

One of the tech nerds looked at Gibbs, saying, "Director Gibbs, the feed is live."

"Your lead, DiNozzo."

The screen switched live to Cleveland, and Cooper saw the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his entire life. Almost immediately, he heard "Drunk On You" by Luke Bryan start playing in his head. While Cooper was distracted, Tony was carrying out an investigation.

"Hello, Agent Harper," Tony said.

"Cut the crap, Tony. What do you want?"

"We're following up on your BOLO on SSgt Rhodes."

"Yeah? Where is he?"

"Dead. Shot and strangled about Midnight in front of the Washington Monument. The killer was an amateur. In all of our case files, we've never seen-"

"Actually, SSgt Rhodes was using that same method here. He was our prime suspect in a string of murders here that were called the 'YOLO Murders' by the press, because each victim was found with a card that had 'YOLO' on it. The killing that got our attention was a Navy Petty Officer named John McQuaid, an MP that worked with your new agent."

"So you think he was in Washington to get Cooper?"

"No. We think he was after someone else in NCIS. As a matter of fact, I'm going to be on the next available plane to Washington to assist with the investigation."

"That's greatly appreciated, Agent Harper," Gibbs said, causing Tony and Cooper to jump (They both forgot he was there.), "so when can we expect you?"

"Director, I should be there in six hours."

"Okay. It's 0830 now, so starting at 1330, we'll have an escort team waiting for you at Dulles." Gibbs looked at one of the tech nerds and said, "Cut the feed." Then he looked at Tony and Cooper, the latter of which was staring at the screen. Gibbs and Tony brought him around with a sharp double smack to the back of the head.

"Aw, how sweet. Probie2 is in love." Tony mocked Cooper, whose eyes were still glazed over and starting to cross from the head-slap.

"Rule number 12," Gibbs replied. "Tony, you and Cooper are going to be waiting for Agent Harper at Dulles. Clear?"

"Clear to me. Cooper, you good?"

"I'm good, boss."

"Good," Gibbs said. "Now get out."

As Cooper and Tony left MTAC, Cooper asked, "Tony, what exactly is rule number 12?"

"Never date a co-worker. That's been one of his major rules since I've known him."

Walking down the stairs to the bullpen-

"What are some of the others?"

"Rule 1: Never Screw over your partner. That's kind of our Golden Rule. Rule 3: Never be unreachable. Rule 4: Best way to keep a secret is to keep it to yourself. Second best way is to tell someone else if you must. **THERE IS NO THIRD BEST.** Rule 6: Never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness. Rule 8: Never take anything for granted. Rule 9: Never go anywhere without a knife. Rule 11: When the job is done, walk away. Rule 13: Never, EVER involve a lawyer. Rule 15: Always work as a team. Rule 16: If someone thinks they have the upper hand, break it. Rule 18: It's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission. Rule 22: Never interrupt during an interrogation. Rule 23: Never mess with a Marine's coffee, if you want to live. Rule 39: There is no such thing as a coincidence. That's one of my favorites. Rule 40: If it seems like someone's out to get you, they are. Rule 44-"

"First things first, hide the women and children," Ziva finished.

"Well, was Harper breathing fire, Tony?" McGeek asked.

"No, but I think Cooper-"

"Rule 4, Rule 12," Cooper said, turning redder than a Washington Nationals Uniform.

"Don't lie. When Cooper saw Harper, he was thinking the love theme from 'Top Gun' and he knows it."

"Look here, DiNozzo." Cooper snapped, channeling his Inner DI, "First off, Gibbs would kill me. Second, If you wanna use a song from 30 years ago to try and burn somebody, get a better song."

Cooper walked back to his desk and put his earbuds in, tuning in some Jason Aldean, in hopes of tuning out Tony's stupid jokes. Yeah, so he thought Agent Harper was hot. Big freakin' deal. He was sure it was just that Georgia accent she had, that same accent he grew up around, an accent he could never escape and gave up trying to.

Before he could totally tune out Tony's BS, Gibbs called Cooper into his office.

As Cooper was standing up, McGeek made a joke about Cooper being called to the principal's office. Tony made the notorious head-slap gesture and gave Cooper a thumbs up. Needless to say, Cooper gave McGeek a minor concussion.

When Cooper was in Gibbs' office, Gibbs just stared at him. Getting the feeling he was being surveyed by the look on Gibbs' face, Cooper opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Gibbs.

"Cooper, would you like to tell me what the HELL that was in MTAC earlier? You looked like you were hit on the head with a snow shovel, for Christ's sake."

"Director, I don't know what happened either. All I can say is it won't happen again."

"That's terribly reassuring. But if you have to, just look at the ground when you and DiNozzo pick her up from Dulles. Or better yet, watch the car. We clear?"

"Clear, Director."

"One more thing. Next time you head-slap somebody, do it gently. You can't go around giving people concussions when you slap 'em."

"How did you-"

"The whole office heard the slap you gave McGee."

"Oh. Well, can I go now?"

"What's your rush?"

"If I'm taking crap from Agent DiNozzo, I'm gonna be there to take it in person."

"Bright boy. So get out."

As Cooper got back to the squad room, nobody was there. Cooper thought he was missing something, but didn't have time to waste because his phone started ringing.

"Cooper."

"_It's Abby._ _You need to get down here right now_."

"On my way." Click.

Down in the lab, Cooper ran into McGeek, who had an ice pack on his head.

"Sorry about that, McGee." Cooper said.

"No worries."

"So why did Abby call me down here?"

"Because," she said from behind Cooper, "You were definitely SSgt Rhodes' next target. Luckily, he died. I guess. So you're out of trouble for now."

"But?"

"But he had a partner in crime. Meet Gunnery Sergeant David Turner."

"I put him away before I joined NCIS. What the hell does he want?"

"Well, he killed Rhodes, no doubt. The YOLO cards all had Rhodes' handwriting, except for the last one."

"Rhodes himself."

"Yes. The guy that wrote that one was none other than GySgt Turner. His prints are all over the card. He even wrote your name on it. That takes some serious-"

"Balls to let your target know you're coming for him?"

"Well, yeah."

"Did you tell Tony yet?"

"Not yet."

Cooper pulled out his phone and called Tony.

"_DiNozzo_."

"Boss, it's Cooper. Abby just told me that Rhodes had a partner, GySgt David Turner. He killed Rhodes, now he's after me."

"_Tell McGee to put out a BOLO on Turner, BEFORE I get back._ _And as for you, I want you to keep your head on a swivel until this case is over._" Click.

"Done." Cooper looked at McGee. "Boss said for you to put out a BOLO on Turner before he gets back. His words, not mine."


	4. Watch the Car

Dulles Airport, 1330 hours. Tony and Cooper had just pulled up.

"So, Cooper, you gonna go in, or am I?"

"Gibbs told me to watch the car."

"That's a good idea. If this one gets stolen, I'm gonna be an Agent Afloat until I'm dead." Tony got out of the car and walked into the terminal, waiting for Harper to show up.

Cooper turned the radio on, getting lost in the music. He did not even notice when Tony came back to the Charger, escorting a beautiful woman, who turned out to be Agent Harper. He only came around when Tony head-slapped him.

"Pop the trunk, Cooper. It's too damn hot out here." Cooper popped the trunk, and he finally saw Agent Harper in person. Admiring Harper out of the mirror, Cooper's pants were getting shorter by the second.

After Tony and Harper were in the car, Cooper needed another head-slap from Tony to get driving.


	5. A Curse on Rule 12

Back at NCIS, Gibbs was briefing Harper while Tony, McGeek and Ziva were ribbing Cooper mercilessly about his lack of function around Harper.

"Cooper, tell me that you're not thinking with your Mini Cooper," Tony joked.

"Shut up," Cooper snapped, neither confirming nor denying what Tony said. "I've heard plenty of scuttlebutt about you three and your past relationships, and I don't know what to believe." Looking at McGeek, he joked, "Tim, you sleep in any coffins lately? Or was it a 'boxed sofa bed'?"

"Bite me." McGeek threw his stapler at Cooper, who caught it and threw it back, hitting McGeek in the stomach.

"Enough," Tony said. "If you two are gonna act like children, I'm gonna treat you like children."

Gibbs' door opened, and Harper was strutting down the stairs. Before Cooper could say anything, Tony told Ziva & McGeek to go help Abby with the security tapes from the Washington Monument. He stayed behind only to introduce Cooper to Harper, and then Tony peeled out as well.

Harper surveyed Cooper, not passing judgment yet, wanting to see how the kid held up with a killer after him.

"So, Cooper. How are you holding up?" Harper asked.

"Huh?"

"The YOLO killer's partner. He's coming for you."

"Oh. It doesn't bother me a whole lot. As an MP, I kinda got used to people being out to get me. It just comes with the territory."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That, and back home in Georgia, them crazy folks in the boonies shot at me all the time." Cooper could not help but laugh as he said this.

"Whereabouts in Georgia are you from?"

"Cusset. Why?"

"I'm from Tifton."

Cooper groaned. "Damn Rule 12."

"Rule 12?" Harper repeated.

Cooper gestured towards the Director's office. "Gibbs. Never date a co-worker. Apparently, that's one of his big rules."

"Oh. I'm sure that every office around the world got that memo after he took over." Harper got closer to Cooper, whispering, "What Gibbs don't know won't hurt him."

"I heard that!" Gibbs yelled from his office.

"I'll never know how he does that," Cooper said.

"Nobody will. Gibbs is more the type to-"

"Scare the living hell out of you by letting you sweat instead of telling you what needs to be said straight out?"

"Yeah. Exactly."

"Yeah. Hey, what are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing really. I haven't been in Washington for the last six years, so I'm just gonna try and find my hotel without getting lost."

"Nah. I got a place in Georgetown. How 'bout dinner and a movie?"

"Sure. What time?"

"2130 sound good?"

"Yeah. Just one question. What address am I looking for?"

"Oh. Almost forgot." Cooper took a Post-It Note and wrote his address on it, then handed it to Harper. His desk phone rang. It was Gibbs.

"Yes, Director?" Cooper said.

**"****_Rule number 12._****"** Click.

"Of course." Cooper hung up, muttering, "how does Gibbs do that?"

"It's not like you two are hiding it or anything," Gibbs said, walking into the bullpen. "Hell, DiNozzo and Ziva did a better job of hiding it from me, and our whole damn agency, plus Mossad, knew what was going on. You two need lessons. Now, business. Cooper, I'm taking you off this case."

"Director, with all due respect, those sumbitches killed my friend. We were partners when I was an MP, and we watched out for each other. **My Rule number 1: If someone kills my friends, I will kill them back**. Take me off this case and I'll just hunt GySgt Tuner down by myself." Smack.

"Cooper, you're off this case, and I'm assigning Harper to make sure you don't do anything stupid. Like killing Turner, or getting yourself killed. Is that clear?"

"Almost crystal," Cooper said through gritted teeth.

"Good. Go home. Harper, on his six!" Gibbs walked to the elevator, heading down to Abby's lab as Cooper collected his stuff.

As Harper and Cooper walked to the elevator, Harper said, "Look at it this way. At least we can spend the rest of the day together."

Cooper smiled when he heard that, and he wore that smile until they hit the parking garage. Cooper quickly located his truck, a fully loaded 2013 Ford F-150 "Raptor" Edition with a custom designed V-12 Engine, jacked-up suspension, 26-inch rims, and a whole lotta mud on the tires. Harper's first impression was that Cooper knew how to have fun.


	6. Tailed

_**A/N: I originally caught some flak for how I ended this Chapter. It's fixed. Hush, haters.**_

Six blocks from Cooper's house, Harper said, "Cooper, you're being followed."

"What? Which car?"

"Black Monte Carlo, three back to the left."

"How long?"

"Since we left the Navy Yard."

"Great. If this turns into a gunfight, it ain't gonna be at my place."

"What are you gonna do?"

"There's a vacant lot two blocks up. I'm gonna pull in there. Lucky for me, I got my Grandfather's M1 Garand in the toolbox."

"Wait. You keep your grandfather's M1 Garand in the toolbox?"

"Only because I can't keep it in the gun rack at the Navy Yard."

"You could put it in a case and set it on the back seat."

"Touché. I'm gonna start doing that." Cooper pulled into the vacant lot and grabbed the Garand from the toolbox.

"Stay down," he told Harper. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"How sweet," Harper said. "But if I have a gun, I'm fighting. End of story."

"You win," Cooper said as the Monte Carlo that was following them pulled into the lot. "Just wait till I say 'now'."

A man got out of the car. He looked at Cooper like he knew him.

"Hello, Gunny." It was GySgt Turner.

"Save it, Petty Officer," Turner snapped.

"Oh, you haven't heard. I've been an NCIS agent for the last three years. _You_ have been committing murder."

Turner drew his weapon. "I said SHUT UP!"

"What was it I busted you for? Oh, yeah. Extortion and battery. Now it's murder."

"I didn't kill anyone."

"Rhodes. Your PL. My old partner McQuaid. The rest of the 'YOLO' murders. Just be glad I'm a federal agent, otherwise I would kill you back. That's my policy."

Turner cocked his weapon. "SHUT UP, GODDAMN IT!"

Cooper put his hands up in mock surrender. "I don't want no trouble. Just relax and put the gun down."

"No." Turner shot Cooper in the shoulder.

"Now," Cooper said as he staggered backward.

Harper poked her hand through the window and popped Turner three times in his hand, completely severing his trigger finger and thumb. The third round hit and destroyed Turner's gun.

Turner dropped his gun, cussing like a sailor as he got back in his car and sped off.

"Call DiNozzo," Harper said. "That BOLO needs to be updated."

Cooper pulled his phone out of his pocket and started making the calls.

"_DiNozzo._"

"Boss, we need to update that BOLO on Turner."

"_What new information do you have?_"

"Well, he's missing his right thumb and trigger finger. And he's driving a black 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo. License Plate: Delta-Echo-Juliet-2-0-9."

"_Wait. How the hell do you know all this? And where the hell are you?_"

"Gibbs pulled me off the investigation and sent me home with Harper covering my six. Turner followed me, then shot me in the shoulder and Harper shot him. One round destroyed his gun, and the other two severed his finger and thumb."

"_Where are you?_"

"Vacant lot a few blocks from my place."

"_We're on our way. You and Harper sit tight until we get there._" Click.


	7. Not the Worst Saturday I've Had

After the MCRT left, Cooper picked up his Garand and put it on the gun rack in his truck.

"Not the worst Saturday I've ever had," he muttered as he got in his truck.

Harper laughed. "Then what was your worst Saturday?"

"A little over a year ago."

"DiNozzo's wedding?"

"Painful. Excruciating. Brutal, with a capital 'B.' One of Tony's drunk cousins made a pass at me."

"Was she hot?"

"It was his sniveling cousin Crispin, the son of Tony's Uncle Clive."

"Ouch."

"It wasn't all that bad. I left with one of Ziva's cousins, but that didn't go so well either."

"What happened? Did she turn out to be a guy?"

"Oh, ha-ha. No, she turned out to be a psycho. She threatened to cut my nuts off on our third date."

"That woulda sucked. How'd you get out?"

"Every man knows when he has to get the hell outta there. It clicked in my head, and a voice told me to run." The pain from his new wound hit him like a ton of bricks. "Son of a bitch!"

"Let me see it."

Cooper leaned over and let her look at the wound.

"You wuss. It went through-and-through. It'll heal in three days."

He looked at her. She looked at him. Their lips met, and they broke apart only when they needed oxygen. They were both thinking the same thing.

"If we're gonna do this-" Harper began.

"We can't tell anyone. And we should get back to my place. More comfortable." Cooper grinned as Harper hit him on his injured shoulder. He cringed.

Cooper started his truck and pulled out of the lot, heading for his house.

By the time Cooper had gotten to his front door, Harper was all over him. Before he fully opened the front door, the fun had started. She was in control, and it was the best time he'd had in a long time.


	8. The Death of YOLO

That night, at about 1924, GySgt Turner cut the power to Cooper's house. Leaving two "YOLO" cards in the door, he smashed in a window.

Little did he know that Cooper had an emergency back-up generator, which kicked on the second after Turner crawled in the window.

When Turner stood up, Cooper was in front of him, holding the M1.

"Okay, Turner. You wanna get shot in the legs, belly, or somewhere in between?"

"You're the one that's gonna die, Cooper. YOLO, bitch."

Turner pulled his personal sidearm, but Cooper had already put a round in Turner's chest, and the Gunny collapsed on the floor.

Cooper pulled his phone out and called Tony.

"_DiNozzo._" Cooper could swear he heard Ziva giggling in the background on Tony's end.

"Tony, it's Cooper. I got Turner."

"_How? You're off the case._"

"He tried to break into my house."

"_Yeah? What'd you do?_"

"Shot him with my M1. Had no choice, really."

"_Call Ducky. I'll be there in... a few... minutes._" Click.

Tony's "few minutes" turned out to be an hour and a half, by which time, Ducky and Palmer had bagged and tagged Turner; Gibbs had taken Cooper's statement, the crime scene was sanitized, and McGeek had taken enough pictures to fill three photo albums.

When Tony finally showed up, Gibbs was waiting for him. "Nice of you to join us, DiNozzo."

"I was kind of... tied up," Tony said. Smack.

"Yeah, I can see that."

"What?"

"There's still a strap on your wrist," Cooper said, walking out of his house with his face buried in his phone. "And with 3-month old twins in your house. You must be proud," he added.

Tony looked down at his wrist. Cooper was right. Tony took his knife and cut the strap off.

"Cooper, you better not tell McGeek about this."

"No promises. But** there is no way in hell **I'm letting you forget this. And don't try threatening me with Ziva or her psycho cousins. It won't work. And McGee already knows."

Tony began muttering obscenities in Italian when he saw McGeek standing off to the side, recording Tony's reaction on his phone.

"McGee, if I see this on YouTube, I will tie you down, castrate you, and make you watch as I put your nuts in a blender and puree them. Then I will pour the liquid down your throat. We clear?"

"Okay, Tony. I won't put it on YouTube." Because Tony had only said not to upload the video to YouTube, McGeek uploaded the video to Facebook. Tony's dignity died in about thirty seconds.

After Gibbs left, Tony and McGee started fighting. Cooper broke it up, head-slapping both of them.

"Guys," Cooper said, "I think that you need to grow up. And go home. I'm sure that there'll be plenty of stupid shit for you two to fight over on Monday."


	9. Anything But Mine

That Monday (June 29), Gibbs sent a forum call to all NCIS Agents. The call went: "_In celebration of the Fourth of July, all NCIS Agents have the entire week off. Spend it well, you won't get another full week off until Christmas._"

Needless to say, Cooper was happy about this, mainly because he got to spend the week with Harper. The two of them spent the entire week doing whatever they pleased.

That Saturday was Independence Day. Cooper and Harper spent the day at a place that was called the "Miracle Mile."

"_Walking along beneath the lights of that Miracle Mile. Me and Mary making our way into the night._"

The boardwalk was alive, with families having the time of their lives. Cooper didn't take his eyes off her the whole time.

"_You can hear the cries from the carnival rides; the pinball bells and the skee-ball slides, watching the summer sun fall out of sight._"

The wind was warm that night. Everybody in town felt it. They looked at each other, the tide starting to rise about three miles off-shore. Harper took her shoes off. She said something about the feel of the sand under her feet.

"_There's a warm wind coming in from off of the ocean, making its way past the hotel walls to feel the street. Mary is holding both of her shoes in her hand. Said she likes to feel the sand beneath her feet._"

"Doug, hold up for a minute," Harper said. Cooper was shocked that she had used his first name.

"What's up?"

"These last few days have been great, but I have to get back to my team next week."

"What are you saying?"

"That _in the morning, I'm leaving, making my way back to Cleveland. So tonight I hope that I will do just fine. And I don't see how you could ever be Anything But Mine_."

Cooper leaned in and kissed her again, not wanting to let this beauty get away from him.

"_There's a local band playing at the Seaside Pavilion, and I've got just enough cash to get us in._"

"Hey, you know, there's a local band playing at one of these bars tonight."

"Which bar?"

"The Seaside Pavilion. I've got just enough cash to get us in."

"Great. Let's go."

At the bar, the band sucked. At first. Then they started playing good music. Songs like "I Don't Want This Night To End" were at the top of the list.

Cooper looked at Harper, saying, "Wanna dance?"

"Sure."

She wrapped her arms around him, and the sunburn he had started to sting, but he didn't care at all.

"_And as we are dancing, Mary's wrapping her arms around me, and I can feel the sting of summer on my skin._"

"Hey, I wanna tell you something," Cooper said.

"What?"

"I love you. Really."

"_In the midst of the music, I tell her I love her. We both laugh, because we know it isn't true._"

"Doug, this- us- it can't work. You're here, and I'm stuck in Cleveland. There's no way."

"Then how about one more night? Just us, no crappy local bands, no butt-ins from work. Just us."

"_Ah, but Mary, there's a Summer drawing to an end tonight. There's so much that I long to do to you._"

"Okay. Just us. For tonight, then I-"

"_But in the morning, I'm leaving, making my way back to Cleveland, so tonight I hope that I will do just fine. And I don't see how you could ever be Anything But Mine._"

"I know. You have to leave. Cleveland. Freakin' Cleveland."

They went back to Cooper's house, and they produced more fireworks than the drunk neighbors.


	10. No Regrets

_**A/N: This is a different ending than my original. Again, HUSH, HATERS.**_

That Monday (July 6), Cooper was brooding a little about it, remembering Harper's words from when she said she was leaving.

The words echoed in his head. "_Well, in the morning, I'm leaving, making my way back to Cleveland, so tonight I hope that I will do just fine. And I don't see how you could ever be Anything But Mine._"

"Cooper, you feeling okay?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied.

"Look, we've all lost the girl. It's nothing new. You'll get over it."

"I hope so. I tell ya, she was something else. I think I got to know her better than I know myself."

The words echoed again. "_In the morning, I'm leaving, making my way back to Cleveland, so tonight I hope that I will do just fine. And I don't see how you could ever be Anything But Mine._"

Cooper's cell phone started ringing, and everyone knew who it was from the look on his face. "BRB," he said.

"Hey, trouble," he said, once out of earshot.

"_Hey,_" Harper replied. "_How you doing?_"

"Fine, I guess. You?"

"_Re-assigned._"

"Where?"

"_Rota, Spain. So I think it would be best if we-_"

"Just end it now, that way there's no regrets later?"

"_Yeah. But there's no reason we can't still be friends._"

"Sure. I'll see you when I see you. Bye." Click.

Cooper walked back to the bullpen, keeping all facial expressions hidden. Or so he thought.

"You okay Cooper?" Ziva asked him.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Really? Then why do you look like you were kicked in the cashews?"

"That's '_kicked in the __**nuts**_.' Sheesh. How long have you been in this country?"

Ziva threw her pen at Cooper, purposely sending it past his ear. "The next one will not miss," she said.

"Noted. Ya know, these last couple weeks have taught me something. And that lesson inspired two new rules."

"What rules are those?" Tony asked, waiting for a chance to pounce.

"2 & 3. Rule 2: Shit happens. Rule 3: Live with no regrets."

The gears were spinning in Tony's head. "No regrets, huh?"

"None. And you can stow your sophomoric jokes for another day. Otherwise, I'll call Ziva's psycho cousin that wanted to castrate _me_ and give her _your_ name."

"That's cruel. And I have no doubt that you would do it either."

"Exactly. And you were right, Tony. I was thinking with my Mini Cooper. Rules 2 & 3."

No regrets. That was the only way to live.


End file.
